Desert Tower Climbing
The red desert surrounding Moab is peppered with iconic sandstone towers and you can climb them!
There are numerous formations and routes to choose from, ranging from your first-ever multi-pitch climb to multi-day big wall adventures!
Explore the tabs and photos to learn more about some of the options and contact me to arrange a trip.
Operated by Vertical Pursuits LLC | Special Recreation Permit 2023-00166
Ancient Art is an incredibly unique corkscrew of mud in the Fisher Towers and you can stand on top of it! A handful of pitches leads to jaw-dropping exposure in an out-of-this-world environment!
Route: Stolen Chimney
Difficulty: 5.8 A0 (or 5.10), suitable for an adventurous beginner or experienced climber
Length: A 1ish mile relatively flat approach to a 4 pitch climb, this outing can take 4-7 hours depending on how busy the route is.
Location: Located in the Fisher Towers 30 minutes from Moab
Price: One Person $350 | Two People $250 Per Person
In my opinion, Castleton is THE most iconic desert tower sporting multiple fantastic routes.
Routes: Kor-Ingalls (5.9+) | North Chimney (5.9) | North Face (5.11)
Length: This is a full, 8-hour day starting with a 1.5 mile, +1300ft hike to the base of the tower. Followed by 4 pitches of challenging crack climbing to an incredible summit. Suitable for those with some crack climbing experience and the fitness for a full day.
Location: Castle Valley, 30 minutes from Moab
Price: One Person $400 | Two People $300 Per Person
While not technically a tower, Terma provides a summit experience ascending a plateau high above the winding Colorado River.
Difficulty: 5.8+, 3 pitches (with a possible 5.10 bonus tower pitch!)
Length: A half-mile approach with 700ft of elevation gain leads to the climb. This outing usually takes 4-6 hours.
Location: Located off River Road 20 minutes from Moab
Price: One Person $350 | Two People $250 Per Person
Looking Glass Rock is an epic outing! While the ascent is not technically rigorous the descent is very engaging; a completely free-hanging 115ft rappel THROUGH the formation followed by some rope swing potential!
Difficulty: 5.5, 3 pitches
Length: With essentially no approach this trip usually takes 3-4 hours.
Location: 30 minutes South of Moab
Price: One Person $300 | Two People $200 Per Person | Three People $175 Per Person
The Titan is the tallest freestanding tower in North America. A coveted feather in the cap of any climber, this is not a beginner trip.
Route: The Finger of Fate (5.8, C2+, 8 pitches, 900ft)
Length: While this route can be done in a big day (I actually did a solo speed ascent in 4 hours 48 minutes!) it is most memorably climbed as an overnight ascent. A 2.5 mile, +1000 ft approach leads us to the base of the route and will likely take us 2 hours with relatively heavy loads. We’ll climb roughly 5 pitches on the first day before setting up for an incredible night. We will climb the remaining pitches the following day and make a series of rappels back to the ground before hiking out to the cars.
Location: Fisher Towers. 30 minutes from Moab
Please contact me for more details and pricing for this once-in-a-lifetime unique experience.
**We highly recommend insuring your travel arrangements!**
Moab is the adventure hub for South East Utah and has all the amenities you’ll need.
Lodging:
I recommend camping at one of the below campgrounds that will be close to our climbing venue:
For Ancient Art and The Titan – Fisher Towers Campground
For Castleton Tower – Castleton Tower Preserve and Campground
For Terma – Big Bend Campground
Moab also has plenty of Hotels and Motels to choose from as well which will all be under 30 minutes from the climbing.
Travel:
Moab does have a nearby airport (Canyonlands Regional) that can be convenient and offers car rental. This is about 20 minutes from Moab.
Another option that’s often more economical is to fly into Grand Junction, Colorado which is 1hr 45mins from Moab.
You could also look at Salt Lake City which is a 4 hour drive to Moab.
Weather (PLEASE READ):
We cannot control the weather. The soft sandstone of Moab is very fragile after becoming saturated with rain. It is standard practice for climbers to wait 24 hours to climb after the rock becomes saturated. We will do our best to work around the weather and small, non-saturating sprinkles. We reschedule or refund any trips that get rained out. Please understand that we are at nature’s whim.
Cancellation:
If you cancel more than 30 days from the start of the trip you will receive a full refund minus a 20% deposit.
If you cancel within 30 days of the trip you will not receive a refund. If you are able to find someone to fill your spot you may receive a refund.
If I cancel the trip (due to serious illness or extreme weather) you will receive a full refund for the cost of the trip, however, I cannot refund travel costs (flights, car rental, etc.) so please strongly consider travel insurance.
The red desert surrounding Moab is peppered with iconic sandstone towers and you can climb them!
There are numerous formations and routes to choose from, ranging from your first-ever multi-pitch climb to multi-day big wall adventures!
Explore the tabs and photos to learn more about some of the options and contact me to arrange a trip.
Operated by Vertical Pursuits LLC | Special Recreation Permit 2023-00166
Ancient Art is an incredibly unique corkscrew of mud in the Fisher Towers and you can stand on top of it! A handful of pitches leads to jaw-dropping exposure in an out-of-this-world environment!
Route: Stolen Chimney
Difficulty: 5.8 A0 (or 5.10), suitable for an adventurous beginner or experienced climber
Length: A 1ish mile relatively flat approach to a 4 pitch climb, this outing can take 4-7 hours depending on how busy the route is.
Location: Located in the Fisher Towers 30 minutes from Moab
Price: One Person $350 | Two People $250 Per Person
In my opinion, Castleton is THE most iconic desert tower sporting multiple fantastic routes.
Routes: Kor-Ingalls (5.9+) | North Chimney (5.9) | North Face (5.11)
Length: This is a full, 8-hour day starting with a 1.5 mile, +1300ft hike to the base of the tower. Followed by 4 pitches of challenging crack climbing to an incredible summit. Suitable for those with some crack climbing experience and the fitness for a full day.
Location: Castle Valley, 30 minutes from Moab
Price: One Person $400 | Two People $300 Per Person
While not technically a tower, Terma provides a summit experience ascending a plateau high above the winding Colorado River.
Difficulty: 5.8+, 3 pitches (with a possible 5.10 bonus tower pitch!)
Length: A half-mile approach with 700ft of elevation gain leads to the climb. This outing usually takes 4-6 hours.
Location: Located off River Road 20 minutes from Moab
Price: One Person $350 | Two People $250 Per Person
Looking Glass Rock is an epic outing! While the ascent is not technically rigorous the descent is very engaging; a completely free-hanging 115ft rappel THROUGH the formation followed by some rope swing potential!
Difficulty: 5.5, 3 pitches
Length: With essentially no approach this trip usually takes 3-4 hours.
Location: 30 minutes South of Moab
Price: One Person $300 | Two People $200 Per Person | Three People $175 Per Person
The Titan is the tallest freestanding tower in North America. A coveted feather in the cap of any climber, this is not a beginner trip.
Route: The Finger of Fate (5.8, C2+, 8 pitches, 900ft)
Length: While this route can be done in a big day (I actually did a solo speed ascent in 4 hours 48 minutes!) it is most memorably climbed as an overnight ascent. A 2.5 mile, +1000 ft approach leads us to the base of the route and will likely take us 2 hours with relatively heavy loads. We’ll climb roughly 5 pitches on the first day before setting up for an incredible night. We will climb the remaining pitches the following day and make a series of rappels back to the ground before hiking out to the cars.
Location: Fisher Towers. 30 minutes from Moab
Please contact me for more details and pricing for this once-in-a-lifetime unique experience.
**We highly recommend insuring your travel arrangements!**
Moab is the adventure hub for South East Utah and has all the amenities you’ll need.
Lodging:
I recommend camping at one of the below campgrounds that will be close to our climbing venue:
For Ancient Art and The Titan – Fisher Towers Campground
For Castleton Tower – Castleton Tower Preserve and Campground
For Terma – Big Bend Campground
Moab also has plenty of Hotels and Motels to choose from as well which will all be under 30 minutes from the climbing.
Travel:
Moab does have a nearby airport (Canyonlands Regional) that can be convenient and offers car rental. This is about 20 minutes from Moab.
Another option that’s often more economical is to fly into Grand Junction, Colorado which is 1hr 45mins from Moab.
You could also look at Salt Lake City which is a 4 hour drive to Moab.
Weather (PLEASE READ):
We cannot control the weather. The soft sandstone of Moab is very fragile after becoming saturated with rain. It is standard practice for climbers to wait 24 hours to climb after the rock becomes saturated. We will do our best to work around the weather and small, non-saturating sprinkles. We reschedule or refund any trips that get rained out. Please understand that we are at nature’s whim.
Cancellation:
If you cancel more than 30 days from the start of the trip you will receive a full refund minus a 20% deposit.
If you cancel within 30 days of the trip you will not receive a refund. If you are able to find someone to fill your spot you may receive a refund.
If I cancel the trip (due to serious illness or extreme weather) you will receive a full refund for the cost of the trip, however, I cannot refund travel costs (flights, car rental, etc.) so please strongly consider travel insurance.